Spectacular finale to IPL extravaganza

A galaxy of stars added glitz and glamour to the spectacular closing ceremony of the IPL Twenty20 championship after the final game won by Deccan Chargers.

Written by Agence-France Presse

Read Time: 2 mins

Johannesburg:

A galaxy of Bollywood stars added glitz and glamour to the spectacular closing ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 championship after the final game won by Deccan Chargers here on Sunday.

Music and fireworks displays filled the air soon after the last ball was bowled, creating an electric-charged carnival atmosphere.

The Wanderers Stadium was transformed into a sea of shimmering, floating lights which were released into the sky as frenzied fans waved to their favourite celebrities.

Actress Katrina Kaifa led a dance troupe to the hugely popular 'Jai Ho' tune, which has over the past weeks become an unofficial anthem at IPL cricket venues across the country.

But it was the Senegal-born American singing sensation Akon who diverted the limelight from the Indian beauty and wowed the crowed with his Grammy Award winning hit song Smack That.

Akon went on to introduce the winner of the Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa, Dune Kossatz.

The crowd sang along Eddy Grant's Gimme Hope Jo'anna hit song as he took on the stage with traditional African drummers.

The five-week cricket bonanza had seen some of the biggest Bollywood celebrities and movie stars, like Shilpa Shetty, co-owner of the Rajasthan Royals, and Shah Rukh Khan of Kolkata Knight Riders setting up temporary home in South Africa.

IPL chief executive Lalit Modi described the five-week championship as a "huge success".

"The past five weeks have been amazing. Ticket sales for the tournament were sold at a rate never seen before for any event staged in this country," boasted Modi.

The event was attended by President Jacob Zuma, who praised the organisers for having faith in South Africa to host the event.

"The games have revitalised the economy, with about one billion rand (120.7 million dollars) being spent in the country in the past five weeks" said Zuma.

Established in 2008, the league was moved to South Africa over fears of insufficient security in India due to a date clash with general elections.